The Adventures of The Roving Route #37
Wow, it's official the ice road is in! We know we said this last week but there is no way we can call ourselves "isolated" on an island anymore. The frozen lake has created a whole new network of roads and walking trails that only become accessible for 3 months a year. Dozens of ice fishing shacks and trucks are all around seemingly creating a community overnight.
We have had so many questions about the ice road and what we really mean by that so stay tuned for next week. If you have any questions make sure to get them in quick!
Before we move on to our next set of adventures there is one outstanding topic that people have been asking about. How have we been managing isolation? It's funny that people ask this because if we wrote our latest newsletters in any other year, we would likely be the only ones stocking up on random supplies like toilet paper and not seeing others for weeks but because of Covid-19, we are all learning to adjust our lifestyle to combat this disease. Because we are not alone in this isolating adventure, it's much less of a question of how we have managed isolation on an island and more just how we can all survive these isolating times. For all of us confined to our houses, it's important to find some outlets.
For us, cooking and baking are some of the best outlets for creativity that we can find. Not only do we naturally need to cook for ourselves, but spending a bit of extra time to give it some flare helps to ensure we feel accomplished each and every day. In today's world, when even putting pants on seems like an accomplishment, being on our feet and trying new things fuels us each day! During isolation when fresh ingredients were hard to come by, we had to tweak the way we thought about cooking. Luckily for us, many of the sauces and condiments that were in our fridge were starting to get close to their expiry date which at least gave us a daily direction.
After travelling to Asia, we were disappointed by the lack of authentic tastes you get when cooking with the established brands you find in the typical Canadian supermarkets. After looking around at alternative food markets we can't believe how tasty some of the pastes and sauces you can find are. Things like Spicy Korean Fried Chicken, Miso Marinated Cod, or Thai Red Curry, can be pretty quick and easy if you can find the right stores to shop at. Try chains like Nations or Lucky's to see what culinary adventures you can get up to!
Back in March during the first lockdown, there were runs on the obvious toilet paper and hand sanitizer but there were also runs on all sorts of baking products. It seemed that we all realized how dependent we were on bakeries and delis for two of the most important meals of the day. Did you jump into any new food adventures during the 2020 lockdowns? Did you keep up with any after the craze let up? We want to hear all about it!
In a world where we must all stay so separated, we have incredible ways to stay connected with each other. During the last couple of months, we have started to have virtual games nights with friends as both a way to stay connected and have social interactions. Facebook Meetups, Zoom, and Houseparty are some of the apps we have used. Houseparty is a bit unique as it has simple games like trivia built-in making it easy to play with people around the world! We have also found a number of sites like Dominion.games and Tabletopia that have created online versions of popular games. These have been great fun so we highly suggest trying to get a group of friends involved and play a game or two! If you want any game suggestions or want to play, send us a message.
Almost everyone we talk with vents about the issues that Covid has amplified. No matter the social or economic status, we now sit on a level playing field with something in common and have an ability to vent and talk about our mental health. If that is the positive that comes out of Covid-19 then we should welcome that silver lining. It is incredibly important to always have people to turn to and talk about what is going on in your life. If you want someone other than a family or friend to turn to, your area will likely have a dedicated group to contact and talk with. For our Canadian readers, make sure to take a look HERE to see what is available in your area.
Being outside and physically fit has become even more important now but seemingly more challenging as parks and gyms are closed all around. With a frozen lake surrounding us and what will hopefully be an endless amount of snow, we knew we had to get out there and do something creative. With a few days off for the holidays, we strapped our boots on, created a wooden frame from the scraps around, and got lost building a snow maze. The last few days of gorgeous positive (yes you read that right, we were in the positives on Jan 4th!) degree weather has made it more enjoyable to be outdoors and has given us an ability to almost complete the maze! Is there anything unique that you have started to do to keep active during these times?
The bottom line to this week's newsletter is that we are all in this together. We all play a key part in containing the spread of the virus but also in keeping us together and moving forward. Emotions and struggles have been heightened and it is important to keep this in mind. We know the last couple of newsletters have been a bit heavier so get ready for next week's adventure!
Cheers from a-maze-ing Lake of the Woods,
The Roving Route